Big bird breaks cover... and possibly size record

YOU could call it a very rare bird indeed. One of the longest male pheasants seen in years in Tipperary, if not all of Ireland, has fallen to the pellets of a hunter’s shotgun.

The pheasant measures a whopping 47.5 inches (or 120.6cm) from the tip of its beak to the tip of its tail. The big bird was shot by Michael Rafferty Jr on the lands of Noel Carroll of Knockshegownan, Nenagh.

“This is a one in a million chance. I will probably never see a pheasant like this again. These birds do not exist; it’s absolutely a one-off,” said Mr Rafferty, who intends to get his quarry stuffed.

Michael, from Ballymona, Ballingarry, added: “My father, who was out with me at the time, has been shooting all his life but never saw anything like the size of this pheasant.

“Its spurs were about an inch long. I would say the pheasant is about six to seven years old, which is exceptionally old.”

A spokesman for the National Association for Regional Game Councils said a male pheasant of almost four feet was huge.

“There is no association really monitoring this type of thing, but a pheasant of this size would be at the upper limits. It is definitely a once in a lifetime experience to see a bird like this.”